(1) Field of the Invention.
This invention relates broadly to apparatus for maintaining in clean condition the bottom of the housing of a rotary lawn mower.
More specifically, this invention relates to apparatus for continuously maintaining in clean condition the bottom of the housing of an operating rotary lawn mower by continuously ejecting grass clippings which have been thrown up by the action of the cutting blade on the grass being mowed.
(2) Description of the Prior Art.
Of the two types of lawn mower generally known, viz. reel-type and rotary type, the rotary lawn mower, which may be powered by an electric motor or by an internal combustion engine, is most widely used for a number of reasons, one of which is the ease of changing cutting blades when the blade edges become dull through use.
The operation of a rotary lawn mower involves the rotation, under a housing, of one or more cutting blades in a horizontal plane at a predetermined distance above the lawn being mowed thereby to cut the grass to the desired height. Grass clippings produced by the action of the cutting blade or blades on the lawn are thrown upwardly and are then projected outwardly through a lateral opening in the housing. Some of the upwardly thrown grass clippings impinge on the bottom of the housing in which the cutting blade is mounted, and some of such impinging grass clippings adheres to the bottom of the housing. As the cutting operation continues, the thickness of the grass clippings adhering to the bottom of the housing increases until the cake of grass clippings reaches such a thickness as will interfere with efficient operation of the cutting blade. It then becomes necessary to stop the engine, turn the rotary mower on its side to expose the bottom of the housing, and then peel or break away the adhered cake of grass clippings with a tool such as a blade. Alternatively, such adhered cake may be removed from the exposed bottom of the housing by a strong stream of water issuing from a nozzle attached to a garden hose, which in itself can be a messy operation.
No means are known whereby to continuously eject grass clippings which have been thrown up by the action of the cutting blade of an operating rotary lawn mower, and to prevent the formation on the bottom of the housing of a cake of grass clippings of excessive thickness.